Tag Archives: patience

Quoting: The Power of Patience

The Talmud (Airuvin 54b) relates that Rabbi Praida had to repeat each lesson to a certain student four hundred times until the student understood it. This is usually cited as an example of the patience needed to be a teacher. We can also see the courage and perseverance of the student. Most people would give up after twenty or thirty repetitions and say they lack the necessary intelligence to comprehend the subject. This student realized he would eventually understand if he just heard each point enough times. When you say you cannot understand something, how many times did you try before you reached your conclusion? We have tremendous ability to understand almost anything if we have the patience to hear the ideas enough times. Pride gets in the way, and so does frustration. But a truth seeker does not worry about what others might think and keeps his mind on the goal.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s, “Gateway to Happiness,” p.384

Quoting: Patience Enhancing Scripts

What are some of the scripts that create patience?

“Things are going as fast as they are. I will do what I can to speed things up and I will accept the reality with serenity.”

“Each second of life is precious. And I won’t waste it by causing myself needless distress.”

“One never knows where it is best for one to be at any given moment. I will try to make the wisest choices. But I will realize that where I am could be the best thing for me.”

“I choose my emotional state and I am committed to living my life experiencing positive, resourceful states.”

“Opportunities for personal growth can be found wherever one is and in any given situation. Right now I will look at the present as a gift and an opportunity.”

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book “Patience.”

Quoting: Use Joy to Overcome Impatience

A master at accessing and creating joyous states will find it easier to master patience. While others stew and fret over delays and the need to wait, the joyous person will use the Creator’s gift of a brain to experience positive thoughts and feelings.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book “Patience.”

Quoting: State Your Goal When Impatient

Develop the habit of repeating, “This, too, will increase my patience.”

How often will you say this? The more impatient you are when you start this process, the more frequently you will find this beneficial. The problem itself will be the source of the solution.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book “Patience,”

Quoting: Emulate the Great

If you have to explain something to someone who needs many repetitions, imagine that you are Rabbi Praida, who repeated each idea 400 times to a slow student.

You personally might not yet have developed the level of patience of Rabbi Praida. But when you imagine that you are Rabbi Praida, you plug into his amazing ability to be patient.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book “Patience.”

Quoting: Your Anger Causes You Harm

The Talmud states: “When a person becomes angry, he acquires only his anger.”

There are usually no benefits in becoming angry at others. Becoming angry merely causes harm to your health and makes you feel miserable. Your anger does not help you, and the person you are angry with usually pays less attention to what you are saying than if you’d have said it tactfully and patiently.

Sources: Kiddushin 41a; Toras Avraham, p.440; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.189

Quoting: Learn from Chess

We should be careful of our actions in life, just as a person playing chess thinks carefully before making any move. Always weigh what you are planning, to see if you might later regret your move.

In a game of chess, which has no major ramifications in a person’s life whether he wins or loses, each player takes much time to think of every alternative and weigh its consequences. All the more so in daily behavior, always think before speaking or taking action. We have much more to gain or lose and should at least be as patient as when playing chess.

Sources: Rabbi Bunim of Pashischo – Siach Sarfai Kodesh, vol.5, p.58; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.259